Yard MD blog: Attitudes toward garden 'problems' are part of the problem

Time to pay closer attention to what garden problems are trying to tell us

Jan. 23, 2014

Do you see this creature as a wonder of nature, or a pesky garden 'problem'? Sometimes, the best gardening advice and solutions come from changing our attitudes about what we perceive as problems and why, as well as understanding the relationships between living creatures both above and below the surface of the soil. / Rob Zimmer/Post-Crescent Media

Written by

Post-Crescent Media

Yesterday I was able to share a very enlightening garden and plant related conversation with a plant biologist that has stuck with me for the past 24 hours and fills my head with many different thoughts and ideas. It fills me with anger, hope, frustration, impatience, passion, even a little bit of peace.

If there is one thing this wonderful conversation showed me, it is that attitudes toward garden “problems” in our society and world today, namely in the United States, need to change. In other parts of the world, where humans and, more importantly, businesses, are more closely tied to the natural world, there seems to be a healthier attitude and appreciation overall for the vital connection between plants, animals, water resources, as well as the part that is often missing in these discussions, the soil beneath our feet.

The connections between the soil, and all of its inhabitants, including microbes, worms, dormant seeds and organic matter, and the plants and animals above, is much more intricate and complex than is commonly understood. The community of intertwined species that exists beneath just one plant extends far beyond just the visible root system of that plant.

Garden “problems,” in many cases, should be welcomed as a sign that there is something wrong with our soil, our landscaping practices, our lawn care practices, on an individual level as well as a regional and global one. Everything, even the problems, exist for a reason. Problems arise when triggers in the natural world are set off.

The quick reflex reaction of simply spraying everything with a pesticide or insecticide only harms the connections beneath our feet, as well as each of the millions, even billions of creatures supported in just one small section of soil and land.

There are other ways to address garden “problems” than simply dousing them with harmful chemicals. Make it a point this year to learn some of these methods, as well as what many of these problems or garden woes are actually trying to teach us.

As always, I will help you do just that. Stay tuned to my daily blog and weekly columns for continuing information. Over the next few weeks, my weekly column tackles the top 25 garden problems and questions I’ve received over the past year, while you can expect even more information here in my daily blog.